Material or article handling – Self-loading or unloading vehicles – With load-receiving portion – or significant section thereof,...
Patent
1994-08-16
1996-07-09
Bucci, David A.
Material or article handling
Self-loading or unloading vehicles
With load-receiving portion, or significant section thereof,...
298 18, 414 245, 414483, A01D 9008
Patent
active
055338550
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a bale transporter for agricultural use and in particular, to a self-loading and unloading bale transporter, particularly adapted for use with round bales.
Bale transporters are used to transport bales of straw, hay etc. from the fields in which they are produced to the sites at which they are to be stored. Bale transporters are coupled in use to the usual supply of power and drive for agricultural purposes, e.g. a tractor. To minimise the number of personnel needed to transport the bales it is particularly desirable to have a bale transporter which is capable of self-loading and unloading.
A particular problem of self-load bale transporters is that the bale transporter must be able to load and unload the bales without the extra weight of the bales being lifted causing the bale transporter to topple over.
Furthermore the bale transporter should not damage the bales while they are being loaded and unloaded.
This invention thus seeks to provide a bale transporter which is compact and is able to self-load with reduced risk of toppling over.
According to the present invention there is provided a bale transporter capable of self-loading and unloading of bales, which is adapted to be coupled to means for supplying power and drive and comprises:
a support which is movable between a first (transportation) position in which it is able to support a bale during transportation and a second (loading/unloading) position in which a bale may be loaded on to or unloaded from the support; and
loading means capable of clamping a bale on the ground to the support when it is in the second position, of holding the bale in position on the support when it is in the first position, and of releasing the bale when it is unloaded from the support in the second position.
For movement between the first and second positions the support is preferably pivotally mounted so as to be swingable between the positions. The transporter should be provided with suitable means for moving the support between the first and second positions, which when the support is pivotally mounted can take the form of a rack and pinion arrangement or preferably a piston/cylinder arrangement.
The means for supplying power and drive to the transporter may form an integral part of the transporter or preferably are provided by a tractor to which the transporter may be coupled.
Where the transporter is to be coupled to a tractor during use it is preferred that the coupling allows the end of the transporter (support) nearest the tractor to move laterally with respect to the tractor. A coupling allowing for lateral rotation, for example by an angle of 40.degree.-60.degree. (e.g. by 45.degree.-50.degree.), of the front end of the transporter with respect to the tractor is particularly suitable as it allows the transporter to be more easily aligned with a bale to be loaded. The transporter is therefore preferably provided with a rotatable coupling, via which it may be coupled to the means for supplying power and drive, e.g. a tractor. The rotatable coupling is preferably movable in position in a direction perpendicular to the ground. When the transporter is transporting bales the coupling should be in a high position clear of the ground, preferably substantially in line with the centre of the tractor tyre. This enables good clearance to be obtained by the transporter when carrying bales. However, for reasons which will be explained later, during loading it is preferable that the coupling be lowered nearer the ground.
The way in which the support for the bales is mounted is important to the balance of the transporter when bales are being loaded onto the transporter. The support for the bales is preferably pivotably mounted on a first, higher, pivot point on an end frame of the transporter and on a second, lower, pivot point at the coupling point of the support to the tractor. This results in the combined centre of gravity of the bales and support being nearer to the axis of rotation of the support when the bales have been loaded onto the support an
REFERENCES:
patent: 3974926 (1976-08-01), Kopaska
patent: 4072241 (1978-02-01), Parker et al.
patent: 4242031 (1980-12-01), McMullen
patent: 4500242 (1985-02-01), Beikman
patent: 5071304 (1991-12-01), Godfrey
patent: 5165836 (1992-11-01), Shonka
Bucci David A.
Krizek Janice L.
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